| Cheese | Jazz | Trash |
Calling all filmmakers with grit, guts, and an appreciation for our rodent friends: we want to connect the people crawling through the dark corners of the globe who haven’t had the opportunity to celebrate their rat-related films!
Rats are survivors in a world that wants them dead. They outwit traps, thrive in squalor, and watch humanity’s rise and fall from the shadows. They’re relentless, resourceful, and impossible to ignore. RATFEST is here to celebrate the raw, unvarnished truth of their existence—and ours.
At RATFEST, every film must embrace the rat—whether they’re the heroes, villains, or harbingers of chaos. Rats are scavengers, survivors, and symbols of humanity’s most primal fears and desires. They thrive in the dark alleys, forgotten tunnels, and underbelly of society. Your job? To tell their stories—or let their spirit drive yours. No excuses. No fees. No boundaries. We don’t care if you’re an industry pro or a rogue storyteller with nothing but a camera and a dream. Bring us your grit, your grime, your uncompromising vision. Whether it’s a 30-second glimpse into the void or a two-hour odyssey through rat-infested nightmares, we want to see it.
. The chosen films will premiere at RATFEST on [insert festival date], where the brave will gather to witness the darkness unfold. The festival will take place both in-person and online, ensuring no one—human or rat—gets left behind.
We will also be holding the inaugural award ceremony “The Ratty’s”, where our selection committee will award the grimiest, rattiest, most feral film, The Ratty’s award. Hosted by the krustiest jazz rat in the underworld, Ratnik.
